In some news that’ll disappoint tennis fans all over the world (except for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fanatics), Novak Djokovic is a vegan anti-vax believer and is staunchly against getting jabbed with the hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine we’re all patiently waiting for.
In happier COVID-19 news, the GOAT team talk about how Pornhub helping relief efforts on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
This whole anti-vax fustercluck started when Novak Djokovic went on a Facebook live chat with a bunch of fellow Serbian athletes and proceeded to share this “views” on the COVID-19 vaccine.
As per Reuters, Djokovic say he is “personally” opposed to vaccination and “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel” when the tennis season kicks back up again.
When the topic of vaccines possibly becoming compulsory for tennis pros, especially when a COVID-19 shot becomes a reality, Djokovic basically said he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it.
“But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision. I have my own thoughts about the matter and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don’t know.
“Hypothetically, if the season was to resume in July, August or September, though unlikely, I understand that a vaccine will become a requirement straight after we are out of strict quarantine and there is no vaccine yet.”
Oh Djokovic, it’s one thing to be a vegan but an anti-vaxxer? Well good luck digging yourself out of this one because that collective groan you heard is the sound of disappointment from millions of fans around the world. The only way is forward at this point, yet the tennis star somehow managed to dig himself even deeper after essentially doubling-down on his stance.
When the New York Times reached out to Djokovic for clarification on his anti-vax comments, he avoided directly answering whether he is opposed to vaccines. Instead, Djokovic sidestepped the question by talking about whether a COVID-19 vaccine would be necessary for travelling overseas.
For what it’s worth, he didn’t exactly rule out getting a COVID-19 vaccine if it was compulsory, though he is still “keeping an open mind.”
“I am no expert, but I do want to have an option to choose what’s best for my body. I am keeping an open mind, and I’ll continue to research on this topic because it is important and it will affect all of us.
“To be honest, just like the rest of the world I am a bit confused. Despite having access to information and resources, I am left in doubt about what could be the best thing to do.”
That’s… not a clarification of any sort, Novak. It’s one thing to be spiritual, but it’s another thing entirely to ignore medical advice from scientists. One just needs to go back to his elbow injury back in 2017, which saw him drop out of the top 10. After trying to rehab it with “alternative” treatments, he went under the knife in 2018. Within a few months, he was world no.1 again. Coincidence? I think not.
Djokovic is going to have to accept reality whenever the tennis season starts back up again. If getting a jab is compulsory to travel, we may see a major backpedal from the Djokovic given how tennis history is on the line with every tournament he, Nadal, and Federer play.
Let’s see if Djokovic is open-minded enough to accept that being a vegan doesn’t hold a candle to a COVID-19 vaccine, and whether he is willing to risk his career and place in tennis history over some ridiculous anti-vaxxer stance.
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